Best cats to live in apartments

Unlike dogs, cats are not usually considered “men best friends"; still, they are also good companions and caring if you give them the care they demand. According to some specialists, cats may be the best pet for those who live in apartments, but it should be a calm cat. Not all cats are the same, of course. For those who are considering having a cat in their apartment, we will mention which are considered the best cat breeds that adapt best to apartments. Still, you should bear in mind that not everything is black or white, so you may get a cat which should be of a calm breed, but he can still be full of energy... basically, it will all depend on the cat.

For starters, one of the breeds that are considered perfect to live in small places is the Siamese cat. Specialists say Siamese cats have some “dog” characteristics in relation to their relation with their owners, and they are perfect companions. The Siamese cats are playful, they adapt to change and they are always looking for something to do.

Another cat breed that is considered good for those who live in apartments is the Ragdoll cat. This breed is obedient and patient. As most cats, Ragdolls are independent, but also home-loving, since they don’t go out much - perfect for apartments!

Another breed that could be considered by people who live in apartments is the Persian Cat. Persian cats adapt easily to change, they are very calm and they almost never meow. One feature of the Persian cats is that they don’t tend to be curious, so they won’t go out in search of adventures, like other cats.

Even though there are breeds that tend to adapt better to smaller places, all cats tend to adapt in the end. If you are planning to have a cat in your apartment, you may consider adopting one. Adopted cats tend to be really grateful towards their owners, and they are usually great companions. If you train you cat to live in an apartment, they will get used to it, and if they don’t, you can try taking them for a stroll. The truth is that an adopted cat may be more loyal than any breed… Whatever cat you choose, as long as you play with it, and take care of it, it will always be there, waiting for you.

Apartment-friendly dog breeds

Dogs have always been considered a good company for men; they are loyal, friendly, and they are always willing to give love. Many people enjoy having a dog, even when they have to live all together in the smallest apartment ever.

Even though some people like big dogs, the truth is that in small apartments, having a big dog wouldn’t be good for either the dog or the person living there; the best option is to have small or medium-sized dogs.

Before mentioning some of the breeds of dogs that would adapt best to living in an apartment, it should be mentioned that even if you have a small dog, they always need to take fresh air, move, and do some exercise. It is not good for a dog to be locked all day anywhere.

Now, we will now mention some of the dogs that could get used to living in an apartment:

Pug: They are very small, good companions, although they can be a bit jealous.

English bulldog: This breed doesn’t need to do too much exercise, which makes them perfect for those living in an apartment. They are an easy breed to train, and they are really good companions.

French bulldog: This breed is loyal and friendly, and it generally adapts to its owner and not to the place they live in, which means they should adapt great to an apartment.

Maltese: Maltese dogs are quiet and sociable. Even though they enjoy the outdoors, they are a good option for those living in an apartment, since they spend a lot of time resting.

Poodle: This breed requires only little time in the outdoors, and they don’t usually smell, which is perfect if you are living in small places.

Cocker Spaniel: Besides being really cute, cockers usually adapt to the space that surrounds them, which means they are ideal for apartments (plus, they are small sized).

Pekingese dogs: The good thing about this breed is that they tend to be more independent that other dogs, and they don’t usually get on top of its owner and stick to him/her all day long; The dog will be happy by just having its owner near (in the same room).

The good thing about dogs, in comparison with cats, is that they generally care more about the owner than the place they live in, so they tend to adapt easier to small places. Still, you shouldn’t forget that they are living creatures and they have needs. So you should pay attention to them, play, take them out, etc… So if you are planning to have a dog in an apartment, you should at least take him out once or twice a day.

Few 3-bedroom units in the City of Buenos Aires

Prior to 2012, the trend over the construction world seemed to be heading this way: many construction authorizations where made for 1 or 2-bedroom apartments, unlike other years where the 3-bedroom apartments were at the top.

There are 2 main reasons that stand out when explaining why there are fewer 3-bedroom apartments in Buenos Aires: first, people now look to invest in smaller places, since they are cheaper and easier to rent. And, second, the construction businesses want to build more units in a certain space (generally a small one); generally, in the most popular neighborhoods (where the land is more expensive).

Since the beginning of the construction boom in the City of Buenos Aires, the construction businesses have looked for investors that could put the money before the construction began. Since the installments for a 1 or 2-bedroom unit are cheaper than the ones for bigger units, like the 3-bedroom units, the construction businesses went to the easiest and more safety place: smaller apartments.

So, currently, all the building that are about to be finished are smaller and have no more than 2 bedrooms. Decades ago, the trend was the other way around: the 3-bedroom units were ahead on the list, and people used to rent or buy bigger apartments. Nowadays, as we said previously, this has changed and 3-bedroom units or bigger apartments are not so popular, since they are more complicated to sell or rent, since they are harder and more expensive than smaller apartments when it comes to maintenance.

Increase on taxes for the City of Buenos Aires

Before the arrival of 2013, many citizens of Buenos Aires received a not-so-pleasant present: the “ABL”¹ bill. In an attempt to calm the negative reaction that the increase on the Lighting and Cleaning tax created, the chief of government, Mauricio Macri explained the reason of said increase and apologized for it.

According to Macri, the rise on the ABL in the City of Buenos Aires is due to the inflation that the country is having. According to the Chief of the Government of the City, there is a current 25% of inflation that affects everything: salaries, services, fuel, etc. The increase would round a 23%; nevertheless, many people received an increase that exceeded the 23% and got up to 100% or more. According to what Macri explained, “The idea is to take the tax rate up to 1% of the commercial value of each house; so if a property is worth 1,000,000 pesos, the owner will have to pay 10,000 pesos of tax.

Since many of the new increases still don’t cover that 1% of the total value on some houses, during the next years the prices on ABL will continue to rise until they reach that percentage.

The increase on the ABL in the City of Buenos Aires wasn’t well received by the citizens specially after having suffered some troubles weeks ago, where the garbage on the streets hadn't been gathered; there were also some electricity shut downs and flooding in many areas of the city.

Many citizens of Buenos Aires have made their claims to the “Asociación de Defensa de Usuarios y Consumidores de la Argentina (Adecua)" [in charge of defending consumer’s rights]. This association is investigating the cases, although it states that the increase on the ABL is supported by the Law no. 4040”, which was approved in 2011, and which allows the executive power of the City of Buenos Aires to update the tax rate once a year.

The reason why the increase was so big in some cases is because this tax has never been automatically updated, so, for many years many people have paid too little, and now the updating came and the change is too big. The overall problem and discontent of the citizens of Buenos Aires is due to the fact that the tax seems too high for the services that are being provided.